


The Burned Man And The Detective

by Extratedustrial



Series: Nobody's Fallout [1]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Nobody's Fallout, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:48:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23617792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Extratedustrial/pseuds/Extratedustrial
Summary: A slow day in the agency leaves Ellie wondering about Valentine's 'knight in shining armor,' only for a new case to wander in in the form of a man with a half-melted face...
Series: Nobody's Fallout [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1700059
Kudos: 3





	The Burned Man And The Detective

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sort of teaser for my Fallout AU featuring one of my 3 main characters, Chester Folan! I may write some more one-offs like this while I work on the main story, so stay tuned if you're interested in this short story!

[Ellie]: ...Have you seen our masked friend around at all?

-Ellie's question breaks the silence in the agency. It’s a slow day, and Valentine is in the office with her, going over some files at his desk. A few weeks had passed since Nick was rescued from Skinny Malone’s gang, and the young adult who had freed him had parted ways once the two had gotten out of the vault, neither Ellie nor Nick hearing from them since. The detective keeps his eyes on his papers as he replies.-

[Valentine]: No, unfortunately, but I have heard of that 'Silver Shroud' character operating in Goodneighbor, and he seemed to match their description to a T. 

[Ellie]: They could be busy playing hero, though that is a bit of a sidetrack from wanting to find their family.

[Valentine]: It wouldn't surprise me if it were them, they seemed like a strange kid from the start, after all. I'd just be happy knowing they're alright.

[Ellie, smiling]: It's certainly an entertaining thought.

-The two look over as the door opens, a tall, muscular man with a burn scar melted over the left side of his face walking in. His hair is medium in length, parted in the middle, and he wears a checkered shirt with metal armor on his left arm. His dark-skinned companion follows him, wearing clothes easily recognizable as being a part of the Minutemen. The scarred man notices them immediately, seeming confused when he spots Valentine and notices his outfit.-

[Man]: ...Are you the detective?

[Valentine]: In the flesh, can I help you?

[Man]: What the hell are you?

[Valentine, sarcastic]: What, never seen a synth before? 

[Man, growing agitated]: No, there’s a lot of things I ain’t seen before, and what the fuck’s a synth?

[Valentine]: A Synthetic human. All the parts, but in my case, minus a few red blood cells. Now, what brings you in here? Unless you came in just to marvel at the mechanical man?

-The man straightens up, suddenly realizing his tone as he tries to change it.-

[Man, calming down]: I-... I need help tracking down a murderer and kidnapper.

[Ellie, standing up]: I'll get my notes…

-Ellie and Valentine’s demeanor changes, becoming more professional after the man's unfriendly first impression. The detective nods towards the chair in front of his desk, closing the file he was looking over as the man sits down.-

[Valentine]: Take a seat, pal. 

-Ellie opens the drawer in her desk, pulling out a notepad and pen before walking over to stand behind Valentine, who gestures to her when he introduces her.-

[Valentine]: Starting things off, my name's Valentine, and this is my secretary, Ellie.

[Man]: I'm Chester, and this is Preston Garvey.

[Preston, nodding]: Pleasure to meet you both.

[Valentine]: And you, as well. Now, you said this is about a murder and a kidnapping, right? I'm gonna need you to tell me everything you can, no matter how… painful, it might be.

[Man (Chester), breathes in]: Alright… It’s… They took two people, I’m pretty sure. My son, Shaun, and my neighbor, Chase… My son is less than a year old, and Chase was just about 20, a college kid.

[Valentine]: College kid? I haven’t heard of a college being around in a long while… I’m getting off-track, though, you said he was about 20, right? Not an unusual target, but your son is another story. He’s an infant, so whoever took him would be taking on all of his care, and a baby needs a lot of it. Not many kidnappers would want to take on that extra responsibility. What else can you tell me? 

[Chester]: We were in a vault, Vault 111. It was some kind of cryo facility, and I was frozen there along with my wife, my son, and our neighbors when the bombs fell. Chase and his twin were sealed in the other room, so I wasn’t able to see what happened to them. I only found Dust’s body and Chase gone, so I figured the same that happened to my family happened to the both of them.

[Valentine]: Ah, that explains you calling him a 'college kid...' So, you were all on ice, then? And more importantly, you were underground, sealed up. That's a lot of obstacles to get through just to take two people, and why those two specifically…? What do you know about- Chase, was it? Did he have any enemies? Shady associates?

[Chester]: Fuck no! We were neighbors since he was little, and he’s always been pretty timid. Only thing I could think of where someone would want him gone was at his school. He’s a real smart kid, especially with robotics stuff, but anyone who’d be jealous of him would be long dead by now.

[Valentine]: Well, considering you’re still alive, that may not be the case. Some people from before the war are still alive as ghouls, so this may just be a case of revenge served cold… You mentioned he had a twin, though, right? What was he like?

[Chester]: _They,_ but I didn’t know much about them apart from they were just a factory worker… Kind of a weird kid, though, kept to themself most of the time, but had a real interest in drawing and cards, for some reason. They were real protective of Chase, though… Maybe tried to protect Chase when he was taken, and ended up like Sofia...

[Valentine]: So that leaves the robotics student to be the main target… Could be they wanted him for what he knew, but that doesn’t explain why they took your son, too… Anything else you can tell me? Did you get to see what these kidnappers looked like?

[Chester]: I only saw the two people who took Shaun, a man and a woman. The woman was wearing some kind of… hazmat suit. I couldn't see her face, but the man came right up to me. I remember, he had a bald head, and a scar across his left eye. Called me the 'backup' after he shot my wife when she wouldn't hand over Shaun. They didn't say much else, just took my son and left Sofia dead… I… I didn’t see what happened to Chase and his sibling, though. I only found his pod empty and Dust’s body-... Sorry, I can’t even-...

-He gags, bringing his hand up to his mouth as the image he had been suppressing suddenly appears in his mind.-

[Ellie, gently]: It's okay, you don’t need to say anything more.

[Valentine]: So, it seems like we're talking a small team of professionals and cold-hearted killers, know how to keep their mouths shut on the job, but they waited until something went wrong to resort to violence. Not sure what 'the backup' means though… The hazard suit is interesting. Not many mercs can afford something that fancy, but the man… Wait... You didn't hear the name "Kellogg" at all, did you?

-Chester pauses to try and remember, but shakes his head.-

[Chester]: Uh.. No... I don't think so. Why?

[Valentine]: Hmm... It's way too big of a coincidence… Ellie, what notes do we have about the Kellogg case?

[Ellie]: The description matches. Bald head, scar, reputation for dangerous mercenary work, but... no one knows who his employer is.

[Valentine]: He bought a house here in town, right? And he had a kid with him, didn't he?

[Ellie]: Yeah, that's right. The house in the abandoned West Stands. The boy with him was around ten years old.

[Chester, dismissive]: There’s no way that could be either of them.

[Valentine]: Yeah, big difference between an infant, a young adult, and a ten-year old, but that doesn't mean we're on the wrong track. He could have a son of his own, or maybe he's turned kidnapping into a bad habit. In any event, they both vanished a while back without a trace... 

-Valentine starts to get up, gesturing towards the door.-

[Valentine]: Let's you and I take a walk over to Kellogg's last known address, see if we can snoop out where he went.

[Ellie]: Security doesn't really go to that part of town, but you three should still be careful.

[Valentine]: I always am.

[Chester, getting up]: Don’t worry, if anything jumps out at us, it's gonna regret it.

-Chester emphasizes this by holding a fist up before he and Preston follow Valentine out the door, walking down the alley.-


End file.
